Aria clapped her hands once.
The sound cut clean through the corridor.
"Enough," she said.
Not tired.
Not annoyed.
Complete.
Movement Resets Instantly
They moved before thinking.
Stances relaxed.
Shoulders lowered.
Spacing adjusted to neutral.
No one asked what was next.
Because this was familiar territory.
"…She hasn't said it yet," someone murmured.
Aria heard it.
She always did.
The Rules Come Back
"Rule one," she said, walking the line again.
"No freelancing."
A man nodded immediately.
"Rule two," she continued.
"You don't act on instinct without context."
Another nodded.
"Rule three," Aria said, stopping in front of them all,
"If you don't understand the order—"
She paused.
"—you don't execute."
Silence absorbed it.
No One Argues
These weren't suggestions.
They were the framework that had kept them alive before.
Old rules didn't expire.
They waited.
Noah Recognizes the Shift
From the wall, Noah straightened slightly.
"…She's not just asserting dominance," he realized.
"…She's rebuilding structure."
This wasn't about power.
It was about preventing chaos.
The Unspoken Fourth Rule
Aria didn't say it.
She didn't have to.
She decides.
Everyone there knew.
Everyone had always known.
Someone Tests It Carefully
"…And if someone challenges you again?" a woman asked.
Not defiant.
Clarifying.
Aria met her eyes.
"They won't," she said.
No bravado.
Just certainty.
Alignment Locks In
The corridor felt different now.
Less volatile.
More… organized.
Like a machine that had been disassembled and put back together correctly.
Aria Ends the Session
"That's it," she said.
"Rest. Reset."
She turned away.
No dismissal.
No ceremony.
Closing Beat
Behind her, they dispersed quietly.
Not scattered.
Assigned by instinct.
Old rules restored.
Old hierarchy reestablished.
And for the first time since they arrived—
No one wondered whether she would lead again.
They were already following.